Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had the red carpet rolled out for them as they visited Germany today.
The pair stepped out hand in hand into the bright sunshine in Dusseldorf watched by a waiting crowd who had gathered at the front of the city’s Town Hall. The couple attended a reception there for an Invictus Games event, marking the one-year countdown to the Dusseldorf 2023 games. Meghan looked chic in a cream halter-neck knitted vest by LA-based designer Anine Bing, and beige wide-legged belted trousers, while Harry looked casual in a grey suit. The Sussexes signed a special guestbook known as the Golden Book, inside the Town Hall.
It is also believed to have been signed by the Queen during a visit to Dusseldorf in the 1960s, according to a city official.
Delivering a speech at the Town Hall reception, Harry said he is "filled with such excitement" at the thought of the next Invictus Games having the backdrop of the River Rhine.
Harry opened his speech with a few words of German and wiped his brow to applause as he smiled in relief, adding: "That's about where it stops."
He said: "I can't wait to hear the roar of the crowds, to feel the adrenalin of the competition and join in on the laughter and even the tears, happy ones of course, while we get to witness lives being changed right before our eyes."
He said he would encourage people to "really lean in" to the games.
He added: "In our most vulnerable moments, encouragement is essential. So, I ask that we all do our part to provide space for these incredible servicemen and women to be honest, courageous and true to themselves."
The couple also did a walkabout with the waiting crowd outside the Town Hall, shaking hands and chatting with people who had stood in the hot sun for some hours to see them.
Meghan posed for selfies with a number of people and there were chants of “Harry, Harry” from eager fans.
After they were taken by boat along the Rhine River from the reception to the Merkur Spiel-Arena for a press conference at which Harry will deliver remarks.
A number of people, understood to be Invictus competitors and their family and friends, stood on the top deck of the large ship, which had the official flags of the games flying upon it. The couple were understood to be taking a brief sightseeing tour on the boat.
Earlier today, the couple were pictured smiling brightly at each other as they left the UK along with an entourage that reportedly includes bodyguards, a private doctor and medical equipment.
A police source told MailOnline that road blocks were set up in the German city to allow Harry and Meghan and their convoy of vehicles to easily pass through and avoid being stuck in traffic.
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They also said that a vehicle carrying a doctor and medical equipment would be part of the convoy as they drive into Dusseldorf.
Brigadier General Alfred Marstaller, chief executive of the Invictus Games Dusseldorf, said those involved were "honoured" to welcome the couple for the event.
Harry founded The Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of injured and sick military personnel and veterans across the globe, by giving them the challenge of competing in sporting events similar to the Paralympics.
The Dusseldorf games will take place in September 2023, with more than 500 competitors from 21 nations across 10 sports.
Harry and Meghan's outing today comes after they made their first public appearance in the UK since returning for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
Meghan gave the keynote address in Manchester on Monday for the One Young World summit.
The former actress told the 2,000 delegates how her life had changed when she last joined the summit in London in 2019 – singling out her role as a wife and a mother – but making no mention of becoming a senior royal the year before.
"I joined you in London in 2019. And by that point, it’s fair to say, my life had changed rather significantly. I was now married, and I was now a mom,” she said, leaving a pause at the end which was filled with huge cheers from the audience.
"My world view had expanded exponentially, seeing the global community through the eyes of my child," she added, speaking about her son Archie.
The couple’s trip in the UK and Germany comes just days after Meghan’s wide-ranging interview with The Cut magazine, in which she said it takes "a lot of effort" to forgive and hinted that she can "say anything".
The former Suits star said in that interview that "just by existing" she and Harry were "upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy" before they stepped down as senior working royals in 2020.
During the proceedings on Monday, the couple sat in the front row on stage, side by side on a bench, as they joined One Young World counsellors to watch the flag bearers enthusiastically parading the flags of more than 200 countries.
Meghan swayed in time to the music, and Harry leaned over to whisper in his smiling wife’s ear a number of times.
The couple travelled by train from London to Manchester, and flew commercial from the US to the UK.
They are due to return to the UK for the WellChild Awards in London, where Harry will deliver a speech on Thursday.
